Find concepts and theories of psychological science. I include definitions, examples, names of theorists, and references to conceptual articles and research studies. This blog is updated as I write about related terms.

Friday, August 17, 2018

Attachment to God

Attachment to God is an application of attachment
theory to understand the relationship between people and God. As in
attachment theory, the two dimensions of anxiety vs. peace or calm and
avoidance vs. closeness can be measured separately, although the two dimensions
are positively correlated.

Lee A. Kirkpatrick (2012) of the College of William and Mary
along with his colleagues (e.g., Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990) is usually
credited with an early application of attachment theory (e.g., Ainsworth, 1969;
Bowlby, 1969) to believer-God relationships. Attachment to God may be limited to
religions like Christianity, which explicitly use the language of family
relationships such as God-father and offer parent-like descriptions of God as
caring and loving.

Attachment to God has been measured in different ways. It is
possible to use two items measuring the relationship to God as anxious or
avoidant. However, the Attachment to God Inventory (AGI) developed by Richard
Beck and Angie McDonald has been widely used with some success.

Beck, R., & McDonald, A.
(2004). Attachment to God: The attachment to God inventory, tests of working
model correspondence, and an exploration of faith group differences. Journal
of Psychology and Theology, 32, 92–103.

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About Me

I am a psychologist who studies and writes about Psychology, Religion, and Culture. I also speak at conferences and group events. Topics include Forgiveness & Reconciliation, Morality, Hope, Love, Spirituality, Clergy Abuse & Restoration